BEIRUT—French National Front presidential candidate Marine Le Pen tried to raise her international profile and press her pro-Syria, pro-Christian stance with a visit to Lebanon on Monday, holding her first campaign meeting with a head of state.
On the first day of her two-day visit, Le Pen called Syrian President Bashar Assad “the most reassuring solution for France” and said the best way to protect minority Christians is to “eradicate” the ISIS terrorist group preying on them—not turn them into refugees.
Lebanon, a former French protectorate, shares a large border with Syria, and has taken in some 1.2 million Syrian refugees—the equivalent of one-fourth of its own population—including Christians targeted by ISIS.
The trip represents the first major foray into foreign policy for Le Pen, a leading candidate in France’s April 23 and May 7 election. She is hoping to burnish her credentials as a defender of Christians in the Middle East, looking to win the votes of thousands of French citizens in Lebanon and have an impact on the international scene.
Le Pen has worked hard to clean up the former racist and anti-Semitic image of her party. She is running on an anti-immigration and anti-European Union platform.
